Blank-holding mechanism.



R. L. WILGOX. BLANK HOLDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JULYB, 1914.

Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

VV/T/VESSES 54 H M S. W

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD LESTER WILCOX, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THEWATERIBURY FARREL FOUNDRY AND MACHINE COMPANY, OF WATERBURY,CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

BLANK-HOLDING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 23, 1915.

Application filed July 3, 1914. Serial N 0. 848,851.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD LESTER \VIL- oox, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at \Vaterbury, in the county of New Haven and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBlank-Holding Mechanism, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to new and improved mechanism for retaining blanksin holding devices while an operation is performed thereon, such ascutting a slot in the end thereof, but is not limited thereto.

A form of machine in which my improvement is especially adapted is shownin Letters Patent No. 1,029,653, issued to me June 18, 1912, forimprovements in slotting machines.

It is the object of this invention, among other things, to provide amechanism to accomplish the purposes, above briefly set forth, that willbe simple in design, economical to construct, and will perform itsfunction without injury to the blank, being especially effective forblanks having comparatively short shanks.

To these, and other ends, my invention consists in the blank holdingmechanism, having certain details of construction and combinations ofparts, as will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointedout in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which like numerals of reference designatelike parts in the several figures; Figure 1 is a plan view of myinvention; and Fig. 2 is a sectional view thereof, upon line A-B of Fig.1.

For convenience the invention is illustrated as applied to rotaryholding dials, such as is commonly used in slotting machines, that is, atype of machine wherein a slot is cut in the end of a blank to receive ascrew driver. So much of said mechanism as is essential to thedescription of this invention comprises the rotary dials 1 and 2, whichare mounted upon shafts 3 and 4, the former dial being known as thecarrier dial, and having a plurality of peripheral notches 5, and thelatter the gripping dial, having a plurality of projections 6 upon theperiphery thereof, corresponding in number with the notches 5. Thesedials are intermittently rotated in the direction of the arrows shown inFigs. 1 and 3, and during said rotation the notches 5 and projections 6register with each other.

The blanks are delivered to the carrier dial 1 from a chute 7, which isfixed in such position, that at each rest position of the said dials,one of the notches 5 registers with the slot 8 in said chute. Successivemovements of the carrier dial 1 convey the blank from the chute to thepoint where it is engaged by one of the projections 6 upon the grippingdial 2, this position being the one shown in Fig. 1, wherein one of theprojections 6 is within the notch 5 upon the line A-B. While the blankis held in this position the slot is cut in the head thereof.

During its travel from the chute to the above described operatingposition, the blank is retained within the notch 5 by the fixed plate 9,and thereafter by the plate 10, until the blank passes said latterplate, at which time it drops out of the carrier dial either by gravityor by mechanism specially arranged to perform this function.

The mechanism above described does not constitute any portion of thisinvention. However, in the type of mechanism just described it isdiflicult in operating upon blanks having a comparatively short shank toprovide sufficient pressure upon said shank to hold the blank rigidwhile the slot is being cut therein, the action of the saw being such asto cant or tilt the blank between the dials, and therefore cut the slotat an improper place, or the saw might even lift the blank out of thedials and throw it to one side without cutting the slot therein. It isto insure the positive holding of these blanks in the correct positionbetween the dials, without relative movement therebetween during thesawing operation, that is one of the principal objects of the invention,and this without respect to the length of the shank, the diameter of thehead, or the depth or width of the slot to be cut therein. In the main,this desirable result is accomplished by providing a member thatprojects over the head of the blank in such position as to prevent themovement thereof between the dials during the slotting operation, and soarranged that some of the strain may be taken thereby and upon the headof the blank rather than confining it all to the shank.

In the practice of my invention I provide companion disks 11 having anoverhanging lip 12 thereon arranged so as to project over the head ofthe blank, with an open space therebetween suflicient to permit the sawto pass therethrough.

In Fig. 2 a blank is shown between the dials with the head slotted, inwhich a limited open space appears between the underside of theoverhanging lip and the top of the blank. This space may vary in widthas desired, but it is preferable that the head of the blank contact withthe underside of said lip, thereby entirely eliminating the open space.

Instead of a disk 11, it is advantageous in some cases to substitute adisk 13 on a filler collar 14. A filler collar of the desired thick nessis substituted to accommodate blank heads of different lengths, withoutsubstituting new disks l3. Either form will operate equally as well, andone can be substituted for the other at pleasure.

With mechanism as herein shown and described, the blank is held againstrelative movement between the dials during the sawing operationirrespective of the diameter or the length of the shank, and by reasonthereof much less frictional pressure may be applied by the dials uponthe shank, thereby enlarging the field of usefulness of my improveddevice so as to include threaded blanks, the thread of which will not beupset or flattened by reason of the dial contact therewith.

There are minor changes and alterations that can be made within theinvention, aside from those herein suggested, and I would therefore haveit understood, that I do not limit myself to the exact constructionherein shown and described, but claim all that falls fairly within thespirit and scope of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In a blank holding device for a screw slotting mechanism, thecombination with companion rotary dials; holding means for preventingthe relative axial movement of the blank between said dials comprising amember connected with each of said dials in the path of movement of saidblank while in said dial holding means and projecting over the head ofsaid blank and exposing only that portion thereof that is to be slotted.

2. In mechanism of the character described, the combination withcompanion rotary dials designed to hold a blank therebetween; of a diskwith an overhanging lip connected with each of said dials, said lipextending part way across the head of said blank when between saiddials, with an open space between the edge thereof and the diskconnected with the other dial.

3. In mechanism of the character described, the combination withcompanion rotary dials designed to hold a blank therebetween; of a diskwith an overhanging lip connected with each of said dials, said lipextending part way across the head of said blank when between saiddials, with an open space between the edge thereof and the diskconnected with the other dial; and means for varying the relativepositions of said lip and the face of the dial with which it isconnected.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RICHARD LESTER \VILCOX.

Witnesses:

GEO. F. BYAM, FRED L. PLATT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

